1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming device and an image forming system, and in particular those having a replacement unit mounted therein.
2. Background Art
There are known image forming devices, with which consumables and other units can be replaced at a user's option.
Meanwhile, when a unit that is replaced by the user is a product other than a genuine product for the image forming device, problems, such as a lowering of the image quality and other cases of inadequate exhibition of the performance of the image forming device, the inability to guarantee operations, and malfunctions, etc., may occur. This is because an image forming device controls the image forming process in consideration of the characteristics of the toner, the characteristics of the image carrying body, the charging voltage, the cleaning characteristics, the fixing characteristics, etc.
For maintaining the image quality of an image forming device and preventing problems, JP-A-10-133528 discloses a method wherein a genuine replacement part is provided with a data carrier, which holds consumption amount data of a consumable, and whether or not the consumable has been supplied to the genuine replacement part is judged by comparing the consumption amount detected by a consumption amount detection part provided in a main device body and the consumption amount data held by the data carrier.
Also, JP-A-6-149051 discloses a method wherein a toner cartridge is provided with a storage unit that stores predetermined code data and copying is prohibited when the main body of a copier cannot read the predetermined code data from the storage unit.
Also, JP-A-2001-100598 discloses a method wherein, when empty information, which is written into a cartridge when the running out of toner is detected, is read from a cartridge to which toner has been replenished, a warning indication is displayed and printing is prohibited.
Also, Japanese Patent No. 2602341 discloses a method wherein the count of images prepared is stored in a memory of a cartridge and the cartridge is prevented from further use when a preset end count, which expresses the number of images that can be prepared by the cartridge, becomes equal to the count of the images prepared.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent No. 3476704 discloses a method wherein, when by bi-directional communication between a container side communication unit of a toner supplying container and a main body side communication unit of a main device body, it is judged that a toner supplying container that has been mounted is incompatible and it is selected by a selection inputting unit that a supplying process is to be continued with the incompatibility being ignored, image forming conditions that are lower in level than appropriate image forming conditions are set to enable the incompatibility of the toner supplying container to be discovered more readily.